Priest rock American Idol

Reported by Bruce Henne

Published: May 26, 2011. © Rock AAA.

Halford & Durbin

They came. They rocked. They conquered.
Metal gods Judas Priest debuted their new lineup – including latest addition Richie Faulkner – on the American Idol finale Wednesday night.
Priest teamed up Idol contestant James Durbin for a double-shot of metal, playing two of their classics, “Livin’ After Midnight” and “Breaking The Law.”
James rocked Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” back in March, possibly the first time heavy metal has hit the Idol stage. All season long, Durbin encouraged Idol viewers to get behind the heavy with his slogan, “give metal a chance”; he was eliminated two weeks ago and ended up in fourth place.
Priest have just announced North American dates for the band’s Epitaph Tour, billed as the band’s final world tour, which kicks off June 7 in Holland.
“We’re pulling out all the stops,” singer Rob Halford told the media at an L.A. press conference Tuesday. “We’ve built a brand new stage set, we’ve got all the effects that people love us for — the lasers, the fire, the bombs, the smoke, new costumes, and the bike. It’s just a full-on metal extravaganza.”